The mysterious combination of numbers and letters 'A113' that has been popping up in Pixar films for over a decade is well known to people in the animation industry.
The code "A113" is present in nearly every Pixar movie, from "Finding Nemo" to "Up" to "Toy Story". You've spotted "A113" many, many times while watching Pixar movies. It's the license plate on Andy's mom's car in the "Toy Story" films. It's the forbidden code you see many times in "Wall-E." It's on the camera that the diver is carrying when he captures Nemo in "Finding Nemo". The only Pixar movie without the A113 nod is "Monsters, Inc." Or it might be in there and no one has spotted it yet.
And that reason is the animators paying tribute to where they started their careers.
As it turns out, 'A113' is the number of a classroom at the famed California Institute of Arts where the first generation of animators studied graphic design and character animation. You can see at E! Online.
Director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," "Ratatouille") was the first to use A113 as an Easter Egg; he put it on a car license plate in "Family Dog," an animated segment from the 1987 TV series "Amazing Stories."
According to public relations officer for CalArts - Margaret Crane, the world-famous classroom is currently being used as a studio by the Graphic Design Program.
According to a Wiki page dedicated to A113, the code has appeared in at least 45 cartoons, movies and even video games.
